No second SRC, says government

The Centre on Sunday ruled out setting up of a second state reorganisation commission to consider demands for statehood.

"The Centre has no such consideration to set up the commission at least for the time being. A misleading campaign is on in the Darjeeling Hills in this regard," External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters at the NSCBI airport here after a meeting with a 24-member all-party delegation, which called on him to press for the inclusion of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Trinamool Congress was, however, absent from the delegation. Mukherjee said confusion prevailed in the Darjeeling hills with some people thinking that since a second state reorganisation commission would be set up, there was no need to demand inclusion of the DGHC in the Sixth Schedule.

Mukherjee said before leaving for Delhi the Centre had never said a second reorganisation commission would be set up. "This is just a figment of imagination of some people. The government is not considering this for the time being."

The erstwhile government at the Centre had also opposed the state reorganisation commission in writing, Mukherjee said.

The all-party delegation minus TC left for Delhi to hold a meeting with Sushma Swaraj, chairperson of the parliamentary standing committee to consider the demand for Sixth Schedule status for DGHC. The delegation is also scheduled to meet Home Minister Shivraj Patil on the issue.